That One Night
by Wandering Violinist
Summary: Pam remembers the night she fell in love. Based on "Diwali"; Pam's POV, Michael/Pam


I didn't realize my feelings for him until that one night…

It was just another day at the office. I was sitting at my desk, playing a game of Solitaire on my computer. Time seemed to move very slowly that day, and for some reason I would occasionally look over at Michael's office and watch him. I smiled to myself as I looked through the window. He was probably goofing off, as usual, and while I would usually be annoyed by his antics, today the thought of him amused me. I looked back at my computer screen, confused, and returned to my game of Solitaire.

Kelly invited everyone in the office to a Diwali festival that was happening that night. I sighed. _I really don't feel like partying, _I thought. Kelly walked up to my desk and asked, "Are you gonna come tonight?" When I gave her a blank stare, she added, "It'll be fun!"

"I don't know. I'm not really feeling up to it," I said resignedly.

"Aw, come on, Pam!" Kelly exclaimed. "There'll be food and dancing and everything!" She gave a big smile as I thought of an answer.

"I'll think about it," I said finally. Kelly gave a satisfied smile and walked back to her desk. As I returned to my 'work,' Michael walked over and tapped his fingers on my desk. I looked up and gave a small smile. "Hello, Michael," I said. I stared and waited for him to say something, but Michael just looked around nervously. "Is everything okay?" I asked. Michael's eyes met mine and he nodded shyly. "Yeah, everything's peachy." He paused. "Actually, can I ask you something?" I nodded, trying to figure out what he was going to ask. We walked into his office and he closed the door.

"What's up?" I asked.

Michael stared at me for a while, and I began to blush. "What's wrong? What are you doing?" Michael sighed and said, "Sorry. I just… since we both don't have anyone to go to the festival with… I thought maybe we could…" his voice trailed off.

"You want me to go with you?" I thought about it for a moment. It probably wouldn't be so bad, but then again... _Jim's in Stamford… but everyone else in the office will see us. _"I don't think I'm going to go," I said quietly. "I'm sorry." With that, I walked out of the room and sat down at my desk. As I opened a new game of Solitaire, I realized that my heart was beating very fast. _What's this all about?_ I looked through the window into Michael's office and saw him staring sadly at his computer screen. My gaze turned to the clock hanging on the wall and I hoped that 5 o'clock would come sooner than later.

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Night came, and I was sitting on the couch in my apartment. I stared up at the ceiling and began to doze off when my phone rang. I jumped up off the couch and quickly answered the phone.

"Hello?" I tried not to sound like I just had the crap scared out of me.

"Hey, Pam," it was Kelly. "Are you gonna come to the festival? We're having lots of fun! Oh, maybe you're not here because you need a ride? 'Cause I can totally come and get you..."

"That's okay, Kelly," I said. "I can drive myself. I'll be there in a little bit, okay?" I heard squealing on the other end and I had to pull the phone away from my ear so that I wouldn't lose my hearing.

"Okay, okay! See you in a bit!" I hung up the phone and sighed. _Maybe it won't be so bad once I get there,_ I thought. I looked at what I had on and shrugged. _It should be okay if I just go in my work clothes… I think._ I quickly left the apartment, got into my car, and headed in the direction of the festival.

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I drove into the festival building's parking lot and stepped out of my car. When the faint scent of food reached my nostrils, my stomach growled. _Shoot, I guess I'll definitely have to eat something._ I walked inside and Kelly greeted me.

"Yay! Pam's here! Pam's here!" Kelly led me inside and she pointed to the food. "If you're hungry, there are all kinds of things to eat!" She smiled and me and said, "Oh, I have to go. I want to dance with Ryan. Hey, you should dance too!"

"Maybe later," I said. I waved and watched Kelly run up to Ryan. I couldn't help but laugh. Turning to the tables of food, I grabbed some things to eat and sat down at a table. While I ate, I watched everyone dancing and enjoying themselves when I caught sight of Michael. My heart began to beat faster, like earlier at work, and I couldn't figure it out. Maybe it was because I sort of lied to him and I was feeling bad about it. At that moment, all I could think about was avoiding him, so I quickly finished eating the food on my plate, and I walked outside into the night.

I was sitting outside on the steps looking into the clear night sky when I felt someone touch my shoulder. I jumped and turned around. "Oh, Michael," I said. I began to wonder if he saw me when I was eating inside. I decided that I should apologize for lying to him, mainly to ease my conscience. "I'm sorry—I wasn't planning on coming here. It was kind of a last minute decision…" Michael nodded and sat down next to me. We sat together in silence for a moment, looking at the stars.

"The sky's really clear tonight," Michael said. "I like to watch the stars on nights like tonight."

I blinked. "Me too."

After what seemed to be a long, awkward silence, Michael asked, "So, have you heard anything from Jimbo?"

I frowned. "No, but that's okay. He's probably really busy in Stamford." Silence hovered over us again and as I thought about my friend's absence, I began to tear up. Michael must have noticed, because he placed his hand on my shoulder, and I turned to look at him.

"Don't you worry, Pam," Michael reassured me. "Everything will turn out alright." I gave a small laugh. Michael moved closer to me, but I didn't panic or flinch. His face moved closer to mine, and I could feel his warm breath on me. When his lips touched mine, I gave in and kissed back. I began to feel like time stopped, and that nothing else mattered. I just wanted to stay in that moment for as long as I could. We slowly pulled away and looked into each others' eyes.

"Wow," Michael said in awe. "That was amazing."

I blushed. "Yeah…" We stared at each other for a little while, then we looked up at the sky once more, and the sound of the Diwali celebration seemed to grow louder, as if everyone inside was cheering for us.

"Sounds like everyone's having a good time," I said.

"Are you having a good time, Pam?" Michael asked. I looked at him and smiled. "Yeah, I think I am." We kissed again and embraced on the steps. For the first time in a while, I felt truly happy.

That was when I realized I was in love with Michael Scott.


End file.
